Contrary to the rhetoric from Bill Shorten, figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today show the future is bright for jobs in the renewables industry.
Since 2011-12, there has been significant growth in many areas of the industry (to 2014-15):
Large scale solar PV jobs are up 1560 per cent (from 50 to 830 jobs)
Wind jobs are up 11 per cent (from 1110 to 1230)
Hydro jobs are up 23 per cent (from 1480 to 1820)
Biomass jobs are up 7 per cent (from 1380 to 1470)
Just as we warned, Labor created a rooftop solar bubble with its failed phantom credit scheme. Job numbers spiked and crashed as a result – from 7020 in 2009-10, peaking at 14,300 in 2011-12, and down to 7480 in 2014-15.
They created and destroyed the scheme during their own time in government. They also ripped millions out of the solar hot water industry rebate.
Since coming into government, the Coalition has been focused on jobs and stability for the renewable industry by fixing the Renewable Energy Target which was broken by Labor through its numerous policy changes.
Chief Executive of the Clean Energy Council Kane Thornton stated today: “with state and federal governments that recognise the immense potential of clean energy, a global climate deal reached last year and bipartisan support returned to the RET, the mood across the industry is upbeat in 2016.”
“We are gearing up for an intense period of delivering large-scale projects such as wind and solar power plants between now and the end of the decade, which will create more jobs and investment in regional areas of the country,” he said. (https://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/news/2016/March/renewable-energy-jobs-abs.html)
Australia’s Renewable Energy Target will see 23.5 per cent of electricity coming from renewable sources by 2020. That’s a doubling of large scale renewable energy supported by the RET over the next five years.
Since we fixed the Renewable Energy Target last year, investments in projects to create almost 400 MW of capacity have been announced – and we expect significant further announcements in the coming six months.
The Renewable Energy Target is fixed and has the absolute rock solid support of the Turnbull Government.
By contrast, Labor has no actual plan to deliver on its target. Bill Shorten is big on rhetoric, short on detail.
(ENDS)